


He’s an eight for sure

by InkyStickyNote



Category: Maribat - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Crime Fighting, F/M, Famous Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Getting to Know Each Other, Good Parents Sabine Cheng & Tom Dupain, Mentioned Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Mentioned Sabine Cheng, Mentioned Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain, Mild Blood, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:09:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27168433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyStickyNote/pseuds/InkyStickyNote
Summary: A famous designer, 19 year old Marrinette Dupain-Cheng goes in for a seemingly harmless interview where she reveals that she thinks a certain Gotham hero is pretty cute.She has no idea what Gotham has in store for her.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 138
Kudos: 734





	1. He’s an Eight

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this like it’s a video that’s being watched, so every time you see “New clip” it basically means that the previous clip has finished.  
> Please feel free to give me any constructive criticism you have down below, I’m really just trying to improve my limited writing skills.  
> Thanks for reading!

Marinette sits in front of a white wall on a red chair. She is smiling at the camera

Marinette: Hey guys, it’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and today I’m doing the superhero interview thingy

Marinette: Wait what’s it called? 

The title is muttered by a person off screen

Marinette: Oh

New clip

Marinette: So basically I have this jar full of- 

Marinette shakes the jar and papers fall out all over her lap

Marinette(giggling while picking up pieces of paper): um... superhero names and general superhero questions that I will be talking about today.

New clip

Marinette: First one! Oo, who’s my favorite suphero... I’m gonna have to say Black Canary. Fighting crime in fishnets and denim is such a power move, and I love that.

A male voice says something off screen. Marrinette looks over exasperated.

Marinette: Batman couldn’t do that! 

The voice says something else 

Marinette: Don’t even with me Stephen!

A crash is heard from off camera

Marinette: Fight me bro.

Marinette pauses thoughtfully, then laughs

Marinette: Though actually that would be funny to watch.

New clip

Marinette: Wait you guys aren’t going to put that in are you?

Stephen: Already did

Marinette: I despise you Stephen

Marinette: Just kidding you’re amazing

New clip

Marinette: Okay um, Superman. Is that all it’s supposed to say? 

Muffled yes

Marinette: Oh ok. Um he’s and alien right? Cool cool. Um, no opinion really, though I love the laser eyes. 

New clip

Marinette: Batman... Batman is litterally a boss guys. He’s scary, but it’s okay cause it’s his whole thing right?

New clip

Marinette(clearly trying and failing to have a deep voice): I am the night 

Marinette coughs

Marinette(in a deep voice): don’t put that in guys

Marinette’s face lights up with shock and she starts laughing really hard. She slips andfalls on the floor. A crash is heard. There is an immense burst laughter off camera.

New clip

Marinette clears her throat

Marinette: Anyways

New clip

Marinette: Ooh Martian manhunter...

Marinette looks up at the ceiling, clearly thinking hard

Marinette: Um I actually don’t know a lot about this guy, so yeah.

He’s an alien too right? 

A muffled yes is heard off camera 

Marinette: Spooky

New clip

Marinette: Wonder Woman. I love her so much guys, she’s an icon. 

Marinette: She could stab me and I would apologize to her

New clip

Marinette(Clearly having a conversation with someone off screen): I’ve actually been meaning to buy some of that Wonder Woman merchandise but I haven’t yet. 

Marinette(scrolling on her phone, most likely looking at Wonder Woman merchandise): THEY HAVE A PILLOW

Marinette: How did I not know that?

New clip

Marinette: Green lantern...

Marinette: Honestly, the powers are pretty cool, but the color is awful

Marinette: I mean, what is that? Booger green????

Marinette: I’m sure he’s awesome though

New clip

Marinette: How do you feel about the.... (she pauses, clearly thinking she is reading the paper wrong) the butts match theory?

Marinette: What’s the butts match theory?

Crew member: Bruce Wayne and Batman’s butts match 

Marinette: WHAT

New clip

Marinette(scrolling on someone else’s phone): Oh yeah, they definitely match guys

New clip

Marinette: Aquaman... Um, I think living in Atlantis would be cool! Though I couldn’t really do it for very long...

New clip

Marinette: Flash is actually pretty neat

Marinette: The red is nice

New clip

Marinette: I’m sorry, I still can’t believe they have a Wonder Woman pillow

New clip 

Marinette: Robin. He’s Batman’s partner right? 

A female intern off screen says yes

Marinette: He looks like a traffic light, but he has swords so I think it balances out. 

New clip

Marinette: He’s kinda cute honestly

Intern: Nah

Marinette(looking through the phone she still hasn’t returned): Wait let me find a photo

Marinette: Look at that, he’s at least an eight

Intern: mmm... a six at most

Marinette: He’s a six to you? What kind boys are you talking to??

The intern shows Marinette a photo

Marinette: Okay I get it, Robin’s still and eight though

Intern: Tell him that

Marinette turns to the camera

Marinette: Hey Robin, if you’re seeing this you’re super cute! 

Marinette(whispering): Text me! 

New clip

Intern: Wait you’re going to Gotham right? 

Marinette(not registering the implications): Yeah in like a month

Marinette’s face turns horrified

Marinette: That would be so embarrassing

The viewer pauses the video, crying from laughter. This is gonna be good.


	2. I’m a Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote this really fast, so there’s probably gonna be some errors. Please let me know! I hope this satisfies your need for the batfam’s reactions. I didn’t do all the extended family because I’m still figuring out how to write the Robins. Um, yeah. Enjoy!

“So Mari,” Jackie started. The interview  with Gothams most famous tv presence had just begun, and Marinettewas already sweaty in her dress. _I’ll have to fix that later._

She had arrived in Gotham 12 hours before, giving her plenty of time to catch up with the #HesAn8 hashtag online that started a chain of debates about the cutest superheroes. 

She had also taken more interest into what Robin really looked like. She hadn’t tried to figure out who he was, just his facial structure. She hadn’t worn her ladybug costume in two years, but she still understood the importance of secret identies. She had spent the whole plane ride scouring the internet for a better photo of him. After three hours, she had managed to find a fairly good quality one.

And oh boy, whoever that guy was, he was more then worthy of and eight. She really hadnt thought about it when she said it at first, but now she couldn’t unsee it. 

She just really hoped she didn’t bump into him, or else she would be an absolute mess.

“I’ve heard you think Robin is pretty cute! Did you know he’s been on my show before? I’m sure I could -“Jackie chimed.

“No! That’s okay.” Marinette was not going to let this happen.

“Oh really? You sounded pretty taken with the boy last I heard.”

“Well-“

“Oh come on sweetie, it’s not like he’s here.”

Damian was in fact there, due to a troublesome intervention by a certain older brother after a chain of events that will be addressed shortly.

“Yeah, actually, he is definitely worthy of an eight.” Marinette said, figuring she might as well lean into it.

“Oh my!”

“Yeah, I actually looked him up after that interview. I’m probably an expert on his face now.” 

Jackie and the crowd all laughed heartily, just like Marinette figured they would. This interview was gonna be a piece of cake.

===

The moment Jason saw the video, he knew he had to make them meet.

He showed it to Dick first, who absolutely loved the idea. 

Then they managed to get Bruce on board. He thought it was an interesting way to push Damians social life along. “Just don’t torture him.” Had been the only thing he said, and the boys were off.

The next phase would be to get everyone else on board. 

Once the video had been sent, there was no stopping it.

Tim had been exited at first, thinking his brothers were finally avid Marinette Dupain - Cheng fans like himself. It was a moment of shock when he found out she thought his little brother was cute. Though he probably should’ve seen it coming, she did seem to have a thing for rich boys with green eyes. 

Stephanie died with laughter, exited to make this unlikely pair meet. 

Jon was absolutely ecstatic.There was no way on earth he was gonna let Damian ignore this. 

Eventually the video circulated through the entire superhero community. Even the villains were talking about it. Robin’s little sweetheart was trending, and Damian still had no idea.

Jason and the others supposed it was time to show Damian the video. 

“I’m not a six!” Had been Damian’s first reaction. 

“You’re right, you’re a two.” Tim chimed. Damian threw a pillow at him in response.

“So, what do you think of her?” Dickasked, not really expecting a good answer. 

“Which one?”

“You know which one.”

“She’s a phone stealer.”  _But not to bad herself. Though she was wrong about him, he was definitely a nine._

“You gonna text her?” Jason interjected. Another pillow was thrown across the room. “Ha! Missed me!” He cried, just as the pillow hit a lamp that went toppling onto his head.


	3. Damian Wayne is not an 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank you guys for the support you all have been giving me! It’s great motivation and it makes me so happy! So thanks!
> 
> Yes, I did just make up a talk show host randomly. There’s not much more to say there.
> 
> Ive also never been backstage before, so I just made stuff up. I hope it’s not super obvious.

After Damian had seen the video, it was time for the unlikely pair to meet. Luckily, Marinette had an interview on a late night show with Wacky Jackie - yes, that’s actually what people called her, it’s Gotham guys - in a week.

It had been an easy choice for Tim to volunteer, as he had been waiting for a chance to meet Marinette anyway. 

It was a little more difficult to actually convince Damian to go. Shockingly, he had demanded that Jason attend as well. An agent of chaos would make this trip a lot easier, in his opinion. 

Then Dick had to go, to make the trip complete. Stephanie agreed to cover their patrols with Bruce while they met Marinette, on the condition that they invited the designer to an upcoming Wayne gala. 

The plan was set and outfits were prepared by an amused Alfred. He quite enjoyed watching the brothers attempt matchmaking. He and Cass, just returning from a mission abroad, had bets placed on how long it would take for disaster to strike. They had a time set to watch the interview, and had a com set up so they could keep Bruce and Stephanie updated.

It wasn’t just the bat family that was anxious for this evening. Many other members of the superhero community had taken an interest in Ms. Dupain-Cheng. There was a betting pool throughout the justice league that Bruce was choosing to ignore.

Which brings us right back this lovely moment.

“I’ve heard you think Robin is pretty cute! Did you know he’s been on my show before? I’m sure I could -“Jackie chimed.

“No! That’s okay.” Marinette was not going to let this happen.

“Oh really? You sounded pretty taken with the boy last I heard.”

“Well-“

“Oh come on sweetie, it’s not like he’s here.”

“Yeah, actually, he is definitely worthy of an eight.” Marinette said, figuring she might as well lean into it.

“Oh my!”

“Yeah, I actually looked him up after that intrerview. I’m probably an expert on his face now.”

This sent Damian’s brothers into a fit of laughter. 

From there, the interview steered more towards Mattinette’s new Spring line and the usual celebrity gossip. 

The show ended without a hitch, and the time had come for Marinette to meet everyone with backstage passes. 

She sat in her dressing room collecting herself. She was incredibly tired, and she just knew she was going to say something stupid. Mentally preparing herself now was just going to ease the future embarrassment.

Damian wasn’t looking forward to the next hour. He had hoped Jason would be just as against this as he was, but it seemed that Jason had become a fan of Marinette in the short time he knew she existed. 

The area they were led to was packed with fans, and even a few journalists. There was a table where Damian assumed Dupain-Cheng would be signing autographs and answering questions. 

Marrinette came out quickly, smiling at all the people collected in the room. “Hey guys!”

From there, things went smoothly. She would sign an autograph and answer a question or two. She would often take time to talk with younger designers who had brought one of their own pieces. Her eyes were always focused on the person she spoke to. She gave advice on stitching and embroidery, where she had found the cheapest fabrics, where to find patterns, etc.

She definitely cared about her fans. It wasn’t incredibly shocking to Damian, who had met many celebrities and upper class individuals over his lifetime. It was less about the amount of fame, but more the self awareness of a person that made them kind, in his experience.

What did surprise him was her eyes. They were a shocking blue, and we’re focused like a laser beam. They were especially shocking when they landed right on him. “Hi!”

“Hey! I’m Tim!” Tim interjected, saving Damian from an interaction he just realized he wasn’t prepared for. 

Tim and Marinette chatted, while Jason and Dick interject occasionally. All the boys got something signed, and some extra random things for the rest of the family. Ten items in total. When asked what he wanted Bruce had jut rolled his eyes, so they got one of his ties signed. 

Damian stood and observed silently.

Marinette had felt the boy’s stare the whole time she had spent taking to what she assumed were his brothers. She was shocked when she had first looked at him. He had looked incredibly familiar. She just couldn’t place it.

She was then swept into a conversation with Tim, who was incredibly knowledgeable about coffee. Then Jason and Dick had joined in. She had to admit, they were a pretty cool group.

So when she had found out they were Waynes, she was shocked. They didn’t strike her as the rich type, though she guessed it made sense. They had given her an invitation to an upcoming Wayne gala, claiming someone named Stephanie would be livid if they didn’t invite her.

Through all of it she still felt the stare of the other boy. In a break in the conversation, she turned over and looked at him. “And I assume that makes you Damian Wayne?”

“Tt, don’t bother, i’m not a fan.” He had said. 

His brothers managed to change the topic of conversation, and ended the conversation gracefully. They had left quickly after that, and Marinette returned to her hotel room.

One think was for sure. Damian Wayne was not an 8.


	4. The Gala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, it’s been a while. I’m sorry about the wait, but I have the next chapter half written, so that should be out soon.

What was one supposed to wear at a gala? Marinette pondered this as she sorted through the few dresses she brought on her trip. She desperately wished her mom was there to advise her.

Funnily enough, she had just finished a call with them earlier. She had gotten so caught up listening to her mom complain about customers and her dad ecstatically describe the new pastry recipe he was working on that she had forgotten to ask their opinions.

She finally settled on her favorite pale pink dress. It went perfectly with the pearls she was planning on wearing. As for shoes, she would probably change her mind last minute, so she set three different pairs by the door and called it good.

===

Wayne galas were no small affair. When Marinette arrived, she was stunned at the amount of people mulling around. The room itself was big enough to fit a mansion inside. There were columns with gold leafed pattens and emblems, and chandeliers they looked like they were worth more then an airplane.

And of course, there was the fashion. People wore some of the finest clothes she had ever seen. 

She even spotted some of her own designs in the crowd. Marinette smiled. Tonight is going to by interesting.

Just as that thought crossed her head, a blur of blonde hair seemed to appear right in front of her. 

“Hi! I’m Stephanie! I’m the girl Tim told you about.” She said.

“Oh! It was so sweet of you to get me and invitation. I’ve never really,” Marinette gestured to the big room. Stephanies eyes widened and her face broke out into a massive grin. 

“Well then, I geuss I’ve got a lot to show you.”

===

Marinette Dupain-Cheng wasn’t an easy girl to find. When he had started to plan her kidnapping, he had thought it would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately for him, the girl was smart. But he was a professional.

A celebrity with such a large fan base, including super wealthy clients, was already a large target. Add a public crush on a well known superhero, she was practically begging to be kidnapped. Which is what kept him searching for a way around her clever defenses. That was, until he thought of a much easier solution.

===

Stephanie guided Marinette around the room, pointing out people along the way. “Those are the Langes, they suck. And those people over there-“

“The ones with the matching dresses and ties?” Marinette asked.

“No, those are the Pallunms, everyone is used to their crazy. I’m talking about the group with the really shiny dress shoes.”

“Oh, that makes more sense.”

“Yeah. Never look down if you are unfortunate enough to have to speak to them. I did once and had to have Tim guide me around for the rest of the night.” 

“Yikes.”

“I didn’t think the white spot would ever leave my vision.”

“Hey, is that Tim talking to the Leons?” 

“Good eye. Does he look like he’s being threatened?”

“He looks like he wants to slam a glass against his own head.”

“Okay, well then we better go save him.”

“How are we gonna do that?”

“Your native language is French right?”

“Yeah”

“Okay, then follow my lead.”

Steph pushed Marinette through the crowd like a shield. They made it to Tim quickly, but Marinette was still confused as to what was happening. 

“Tim! Good thing we found you, Marinette here only speaks French, and her translator disappeared somewhere.” 

Stephanie elbowed Marinette, and she released a string of frantic sounding French. Really, she was just informing him on how awesome his girlfriend was. Tim, right on cue, responded with some calmer French which was really just gibberish, with a ‘don’t I know it’ thrown in. Stephanie looked at the Leons. “I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to steal him from you.”

Just like that, the three were off. 

They eventually ended up in a balcony, looking down on everyone from above. Marinette found they were very easy to talk to, but eventually found herself having to use the bathroom. She excused herself and made her way to what she guessed were the most expensive bathrooms in the universe. 

She looked in the mirror, adjusting her hair and reapplying her lip gloss. She then reentered the main room when she slammed into Damian. She let out a flustered apology, while he stood in shock? Terror? She couldn’t quite decide. Then thier attention was drawn to the stage where someone had a microphone and was getting everyone’s attention. Damians eyes were still darting around they began speaking. Suddenly he jumped at Marinette, pulling her to the ground as the wall behind the stage exploded. 

===

Damian had known it was coming. Something felt off to him the whole night, and when he had seen one of Penguins poorly disguised henchmen, he knew trouble was eminent. That’s when he had bumped into that Dupain-Cheng girl. Clearly the night was not going to go well for him.

===

Everything was in chaos. Marinette was unharmed, thanks to Damians quick thinking. The people at the front of the room were covered in dust, and some were pinned to the ground with chunks of marble. Marinette looked around, watching people recover from the shock of the explosion. 

There were now men on the stage, all of them holding guns and pointing at the crowd. Marinette had been at gunpoint before and was very clear everyone else in the room had been too. They all seemed unphazed, and she followed suit. She set to work on helping lift marble off of people, the men on stage simply watching the crowd. Very few people called 9-1-1, as if they already knew who the designated 9-1-1 callers in the crowd were. Marinette supposed they did. 

She didn’t fail to notice Damians absence either, but she wrote if off as a safety thing. Surely the son of one of the richest men in the world knew that avoiding being kidnapped was always smart. Plus, the way he had saved her from being hit with debris earlier brought his ranking back up to a seven. 

She continued to help people get out from under debris. It was very consuming work, so when a man with a gun grabbed her by the arm, she had no time to react. She was brought out of the building and shoved into a van full of other hostages. 

Well, she had been right when she thought that night was going to be interesting. 


	5. A reasonable response to being kidnapped

Robin and Spoiler lept across the Gotham skyline, trailing the vehicles.

“Worried about your girlfriend?” Spoiler asked.

“Girlfriend?” Oracle chimed.

“Who are you talking about?” Was all he could say. He tried to rack his mind for anyone- oh. “That girl is not my girlfriend!”

“I don’t know, you two seemed pretty close when me and Steph saw you.” Of course Tim had to choose this moment to chime in.

“I was just doing my job!”

“I don’t think your job requires getting that close to cute girls Dami.”

Robin lept ahead, choosing to ignore his family discussing the girl.

Spoiler eventually caught up to him, but seemed content to remain in silence.

“You didn’t deny it.” 

“Deny what?”

“That she’s cute.”

===

The car ride was shaky, and Marinette struggled to stay calm as people around her panicked. Some cried, some mumbled, and some sat still and quiet, clearly having experienced something similar before. 

Eventually, the car came to a stop. Marinette positioned herself near the door, hoping there would be an opportunity to disarm a guard. Unfortunately, whoever’s goons they were, they were prepared. The doors opened, revealing a dark warehouse and guns pointed in her face.

She was led to a room with six other captives. Two guards entered the room with them, both armed and seemingly eager to shoot. Nobody spoke.

The whole situation was off. There were at least 20 people in the car with her. Why had they been split up? Why were they brought here? 

Almost as if they were going to answer her question, the men made eye contact with her. One snatched her from the lineup and she was brought back out into the warehouse. 

===

Marinette followed the man, assessing the situation. Nobody was around. If she timed everything right she should be able to make a run for it.

But where would she go? She didn’tknow where anything was, and she doubted that anyone around would give her directions.

Maybe if she got back to the room she had come from and took out the guard, the group of six could find a way to-

No, that wouldn’t work. 

She may be able to take one of the vans though. The man escorting her had a massive key ring on his belt. Surely one of them would start the car. She could get other captives out faster that way too.

It was worth a shot. 

With a quick kick and a solid hit to the gut, the guy was down. She snatched up the key ring swiftly and started trying them out. 

She was halfway through the ring when she was snatched out of the car. She used her momentum to flip over, bringing her attacker down with her. 

They both righted themselves quickly, and after a quick scuffle they were out cold. 

Unfortunately, they had caused quite a commotion, and another guard came right up behind her. Then three more appeared, all holding guns. Before Marinette could react, someone hit her on the back of the head and her vision went dark.

===

Marinette had been handcuffed. She had never actually been handcuffed before, but she had picked plenty of locks. She shifted around, trying to reach a bobby pin in her hair. Once she retrieved it, she started to fiddle with the lock. She made quick work of it and was out in no time. 

She fumbled around the room, trying to adjust to the darkness. Eventually she could make out the pole she had been handcuffed to, and a table tucked away in the corner. 

But where was the door? There had to be a door somewhere. 

A deeper search of the room provided nothing more then a loose screw on the ground. She plopped down on the floor, feeling defeated. 

Almost comically, a trapdoor opened right above her. She got out of the way just in time for a man to land right where she had been standing. 

He was short, with a nose that looked more like a beak, and dressed nothing like you would expect a kidnapper to dress.

He had just turned to look at her when Marinette chucked the table at his head.

She reeled backwards, tripping and slamming into the ground. The man approached slowly, still recovering from the hit he had recieved from the table. Marinette kept still, anxiously waiting until he was in range again. Then she lashed out, flipping back into her feet and kicking him in the nose. There was a crack and she kicked out again, landing a solid hit to the gut. 

He collapsed onto the floor, and Marinette started to move towards the trapdoor when she tripped on the umbrella the man had dropped earlier.

She went skidding onto the floor, her dress ripping and her arms taking the brunt of the landing.

The man was back up, his nose gushing blood and clearly broken. He approached again, his feet thumping against the floor in a shaky rhythm. Marinette struggled to see as her eyes watered from the fall. 

Behind her, he grabbed his umbrella up off the floor. 

The steps got louder.

_Come on Marinette!_

“I don’t wanna hurt you kid.” He snarled. He was above her now, raising up the umbrella. “But after the stunt you just pulled, I guess I have to.”

_Just move!_

He thrust the umbrella down, right as Marinette rolled out of the way. The umbrella slammed into the ground, making dirt fly into the air. 

He lunged for her, giving Marinette a chance to kick him in the neck. He crashed onto the floor and rolled limply, clearly unconscious. 

Marinette laid on the floor, unwilling to move as she caught her breath. She eventually pulled herself up off the ground, and used the table as a step stool to climb up to the trapdoor.

She pulled herself out of the opening and rolled onto the ground, exhaling a sigh of relief. The feeling didn’t last long though, because a certain bird themed vigilante was staring right at her.

===

“Hi.” She whispered, frozen with embarrassment.

“Hi.”

“There’s a, um, there’s a guy down there.”

“Oh.”

“I hit him with a table.”

“A reasonable response to being kidnapped.”

“So who was he?”

“Not good.”

Marinette gave him a pointed look.

“His name is penguin.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

The room went quiet, and Marinette realized she was still sprawled out on the ground. “So, don’t you need to like, um, go check it out or something?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well then I’ll just get out of your way.”She pulled herself up out of the opening completely, and not so gracefully pulled herself to her feet. “Um, can I go?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like is it safe for me to leave?”

“Yeah.”

“Where do I go?”

“You- uh- There’s a door on the North side, there should still be some cops there now. They can give you a ride home.”

“Okay.” She paused. “Where’s North?”

“Tt. Do you ever run out of questions?”

“Depends if you run out of answers.”

“It’s that way.” 

“Okay. Thanks.” She started to step away, but turned back around.

“What?”

“How is everyone else?”

“We got everyone out hours ago. I was just doing a final sweep when I found you.”

“Oh. Um, thank you.”

“Just doing my job.”

“Job? I don’t think you get paid for being a vigilante.”

“I-“

“Sorry. That was rude. I’m just gonna go. Thanks again!” 

She practically sprinted out the door. Robin rolled his eyes and dropped down onto the floor of the cellar. 

“So was that your girlfriend?” Oracle asked. Damian shut off his comm in response. 

Even with the light coming through the trapdoor, he could barely make out anything in the room. He pulled out a flashlight and surveyed the space. He saw handcuffs, which begged the question,  how did Marinette get out of them?  The table was overturned in the corner, and right beside it was Penguin, curled up in a ball.

This girl was not messing around.

Batman was going to want to see this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought you were gonna get Damian rating Marinette didn’t you?  
> Just kidding, you guys are amazing! And it will happen, I promise.


	6. Marinette has a visitor

“Marinette Dupain - Cheng. 19 Years old, Paris native, and a popular designer that goes by the name MDC.” Dick rattled off the list off information from the computer.

“That’s all we have?” Bruce responded.

“It’s the important stuff.”

“Being a skilled fighter doesn’t fit into that.”

“I didn’t say it did.”

“I just- I’ve gone head to head with Penguin and struggled to beat him. How on Earth did that tiny little girl do it?”

“Maybe she’s better then you.” Jason chimed in.

“She said she threw a table at his head. According to my assessment of the area, she wasn’t lying.” Damian added, choosing to ignore Jason’s comment. 

Dick nodded. “That would throw any skilled fighter off.” 

“Wasn’t the table in the corner of the room?” Tim asked.

“Tt. It’s obvious that Marinette would have used it to climb up the trapdoor, so it wouldn’t have been next to him. There was a table shaped bruise forming, which you would have known if you paid attention Drake.” Damian snapped.

Tim started to retort, but Bruce cut him off. “Where would she have learned to fight like that?”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed this Bruce, but self defense classes exist.” 

“That doesn’t explain her ability to escape those handcuffs and take down penguin!”

“Hey bozos!” Barbara called. “Look at this.”

They all turned towards the screen. Footage from a security camera showed Marinette navigating around and moving debris at the gala. Barbara paused the video. “Marinette was moving debris that were easily 200 pounds with very little effort. With her build, there is no way she’s a normal human. I’m guessing she’s some sort of meta. There’s also a few photos taken by the GCPD of the warehouse everyone was taken to. In this one, some dust on the floor has been unsettled, and look at the corner.”

“Someone got knocked down.” Dick finished.

“Exactly! According to some of the kidnapees, Marinette was moved from a room. Odds are that she was the one who knocked the guy down.”

“How do we know she wasn’t the one who fell? Damian did say she was pretty dirty.” Duke asked.

“Look at the displaced dust. Marinette isn’t big enough to have caused that much of a disruption. She must have done something that caught the guard by surprise, making him fall.”

The room fell silent.

Cass leaned over to Damian. “I like her.”

“That’s it. Damian, you are to avoid her at all costs. Until we know her motives and why she singled you out, you are to have no contact.” Bruce ordered. 

“That may be kinda difficult.” Tim stated.

“Why?”

“Me and Steph commissioned her.”

===

Marinette hadn’t slept as well as she did last night in a long time. Her entire body was sore, her favorite dress was ruined, and she had gone through a box of bandaids, but the good night sleep had put her in a great mood. As far as she was aware, she didn’t have anything going on for a few days before she had to deal with final business in Gotham. She would need to schedule a time to visit the Wayne’s for thier commissions, but she could do that later. 

She was content to just lay in her warm little blanket fort, scrolling through her phone and only half paying attention to the cooking show on the tv. 

That was, until someone stopped by her room.

===

It was stupid. All of it! He couldn’t believe his father thought her couldn’t stand his ground against a silly little meta human! 

Damian knew his father just wanted to protect him, but he couldn’t stand the fact that Bruce was treating him like a child. He was 18! He could handle himself. 

Maybe it was the rage that drove him to do it, or maybe it was the curiosity about the pretty girl that chucked a table at someone’s head, but Damian found himself sitting outside her hotel room.

It had been easy enough to find her location. A few key words in the Batcomputer and he was set. But now that he was here, what was he going to do? Attack her? No, that would be ridiculous. But he couldn’t talk to her, that would be weirder. 

Sometimes he wished he had grown up in a normal environment, and not whatever the heck his family was.

“So are you going to come in or are you just going to sit there?” She called from inside. 

===

He stood uncomfortably while she wandered around her room, wearing a blanket like a cape.

They remained in silence and she handed him a cup of coffee, then pulled it back out of his hand. “Oh! I- uh - I didn’t even ask if you wanted coffee. Sorry!”

“No, that’s okay.” He paused. “So you like coffee?”

“I couldn’t live without it.”

Well, they exhausted that topic of conversation pretty quickly.

They stood inches apart, glancing at each other, glancing at the coffee, then back again.

Marinette could feel her face burning. 

Robin cleared his throat.

“So is uh- is there a reason? Like, um, a reason you’re here?” Marinette asked, finally breaking the silence.

“No.”

“Okay.”

“Sorry.”

“No, um, it’s fine. Do you want to watch hotel TV with me? Until you finish your coffee, obviously.”

“Uh, yeah.”

They sat awkwardly on the bed, both tense on the edge, just far enough away not to touch but close enough to feel each other’s presence.

They didn’t move until he had finished his coffee. Then he was up and halfway out the window when Marinette blurted, “So what would you rate me?”

“Huh?”

“I rated you, now you need to rate me.”

She could feel her face turning into a tomato.

“I-“ 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to! Though, if you do decide on a number, you know where to find me.” And with that she quite literally closed the window on him, too flustered to think her actions through.

She had a new embarrassing moment to add to the list.

===

Damian had butterflies in his stomach. He’d had them before, but never like this. It was quite an odd feeling, but he now understood the saying he had heard far to many times. 

They disappeared as he made his way back to the manor, and he wondered what had brought it on. It couldn’t have been the Dupain-Cheng girl. Maybe it was the coffee. Yes, there was no other explanation. 

It was just the coffee.

Right?


End file.
